Detours Series

Detours

PPT 1 Series Title Slide

PPT 2 (Image change ahead, and definition of a detour)

A detour is an unexpected event that changes the course of your life.

Today I want to talk about God's involvement in the detours of life. There are many, many examples we could use from scripture but I want to focus our attention on is found in Exodus 13:17, 18.

PPT 3 (Scripture)

Ex 13:17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not [through] the way of the land of the Philistines, although that [was] near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:

Ex 13:18 But God led the people about, [through] the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.

The text tells us that the Jews were going from point A to point B, but God made them detour and go the long way for their own good. So to begin I want to talk about detours in general, and as we go we will work our way back into the text.

A detour is an unexpected event that changes the course of your life.

A pink slip

A death/or illness

A pregnancy

A job offer

A best friend moves away

A child gets engaged

Pastor Andy did a great job 2 weeks ago, sharing how detours impacted his life in very unexpected ways, and how God gave him the gift of song to help him during some very difficult days. Music is a wonderful gift from God, especially when your seas are rough. How many can say that in a difficult season the song, "Blessed be the name of the Lord," has helped you? "You give and take away, my heart will choose to say, Blessed be the name of the Lord!"

In fact we are going to sing that song at the end of service today, and let the devil know that even if the sun doesn't shine, we are still going to praise the Lord.

Consider the following traffic control devices and think about how you think about them:

PPT 4 (various traffic signs)

Reduced Speed Ahead

No Right on Red

Yield

No Parking Zone

Dead End

Detour

Red Lights/Stop Signs

PPT 5 (school bus)

The dreaded School Bus and last especially for us here in Michigan:

PPT 6 (Michigan left)

The Michigan Left. Why do I have to go right, before I can turn left???!!! Grrr

Each one of them, in one way or another, cause us to slow down on our journey. We don't like slowing down. We don't like things that hinder or change our plans to use the most direct route possible.

Detours are put up by the relevant authority because some danger or obstruction is ahead. God gives detours for the very same reasons, but He doesn't usually bother to tell us why.

But in our text, we are told the reason for their detour. Basically God said, the Jews are not ready for a fight, they would turn back and return to Egypt at the first sign of trouble. So the detour was to save them some trouble, and to keep them on God's path.

PPT 7 (Image right path and text point 1)

That brings us to our first point:

1. Detours are a course correction that God uses to keep us on the right path.

Not our path, but the right path.

We want to get from A to B, God wants us to get from here to the crucified life, the life of holiness, the upward call of God in Christ, that is the path that God is concerned with.

Not the path to a physical location, but a path to keep us walking with Him.

We are told to pray, deliver us from temptation, and here we have an example of God doing it.

The detour you may today be fussing about, might just be God's answer to your prayer for Christ likeness!

Eternity will only tell all the messes God kept us from.

PPT 8 (Image child holding fathers hand and text of point 2)

2. Detours send us on an unfamiliar route and require that we trust the sign makers.

When we are traveling away from home and come to a detour, it usually sends in a direction we know nothing about. Detours require us to pay strict attention and keep looking for signs on the way we should go. One of the blessings about detours is that help us to be very diligent about seeking God and His direction for our life.

PPT 9 (small emergency route sign, while on a detour we pay closer attention!)